


Breaking the Loop

by Lidia1357



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Broken Time Loop, F/M, I just want these babies to be happy okay, Redemption, Rivals, Spoilers, little nightmares - Freeform, little nightmares 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29818299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lidia1357/pseuds/Lidia1357
Summary: Mono had tried everything. He had gone through the journey countless times and come out with the short stick. Each time he returned as a child he'd forget what she'd done until it was too late. This time, he tries to warn himself. He doesn't realize what the consequences of such an action would be, but has he changed his fate for the better? And can the monster who let him down be saved?
Relationships: Mono/Six (Little Nightmares)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 78





	1. The Tower

**Author's Note:**

> This fic containes MAJOR spoilers of both Little Nightmares, Secrets of the Maw, and Little Nightmares Two. Please don't read unless you have played/watched all three or don't care about spoilers.

He couldn’t remember how long he’d sat there. Time seemed to slide past like rain running down his face. He could still remember the last time he felt such a sensation, though it was distant now. His hands gripped the armrests of the chair he’d called home for an immeasurable amount of time as the memory pulled to the forefront of his mind. Images of a shivering girl with shaggy, brown hair that clung to her face. Climbing a slippery dumpster and rooftops in search of some kind of shelter. Chilled fingers gripping his tightly for comfort.

His grip on the armrests tightened as a roiling anger burned in his gut. He remembered those fingers well. He remembered how strong they felt as he held on for dear life; the sense of relief as his feet dangled below him. He was safe, just as he always was when she caught him. This, however, was different. Her face held none of the concerned emotion they always did each time she reached out for him. Her eyes were dark; hidden beneath the hair that peeked from her yellow hood. His voice was barely audible as a tiny word slipped from his lips.  
“Six?”

Her fingers loosened and her hand yanked back. Her face never changed.

He remembered the day she found that raincoat. The rain was unforgiving and harsh. Her cheeks were stark white and she shivered uncontrollably. He’d searched for some kind of shelter, but all they’d found was a shed that was falling apart. A stream of water flowed through it, but it was all they could find within the immediate vicinity. They huddled together, trying to share what little warmth they had. Six had little to offer. She never told him how she ended up in that basement, but she had clearly not been fed. What little they could scrounge up wasn’t enough to make up for her malnourishment, and he worried for her future. Still, she was a fighter, and somehow still stronger than he was. He would have died multiple times were it not for her, and she without him. They needed each other in this cruel, warped reality they’d found themselves in.

Six spotted something bright and yellow sitting in the mud. She pulled away from him and walked over to it, delicately picking it up. Somehow, it was her perfect size. She slipped it over her wet, tattered gown and lifted the hood. Without a word she returned to him and huddled back again. He was relieved she’d found something to protect her from the elements.

The young man leaned back in his chair, relaxing the tension that had built up in his back as the memories invaded him. He could blame no one but himself. After that day, she had begun to show her true colors. There were signs of her slipping sanity. Signs he had chosen to ignore. He could still hear the crunching and twisting of the mannequin arm as Six sat, twisting the fingers. There was no life to it; no reason for the torment. She simply sat with fascination and broke the fingers one by one. He had set the fuse down and walked up to her, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder. The material of her coat felt unnaturally cold. She slowly looked up at him with a sense of anger he hadn’t seen since she destroyed the ceramic bully. He had been concerned then, but thought little of her actions. They had taken and tortured her for over an hour. He couldn’t protect her, and took too long to reach her. She tried to hide the bruises and the cuts. She probably did conceal the worst of them. This however, this was not one of those bullies.

She left her victim lying where she’d found it, and stood up as if nothing happened. He let it go, writing it off as a one time event. It was not.

They ran as quickly as they could, scrambling over hospital beds and around metal shelving while the doctor chased them. He could hear the labored breathing as the doctor picked up his pace. Six was only a few paces ahead, and the beds were nearly crushing from behind him. Six pointed out the incinerator, and hid. She motioned him to get inside. He thought her insane, until he saw the shelving that would allow him to climb back out. In hindsight, such trust in her was foolish. However, she still needed him, so she pulled him out before firing the doctor into ash. He stood and watched the blaze with disgust, then shock as she simply sat in front of the fire with her hands out. There was a sense of peace on her face in that moment that turned his gut. He nudged her gently and pointed out the elevator. She nodded and stood.

These memories were almost distant. They required some concentration to bring to the forefront of his mind. What he discovered in the tower, however, was clear as the afternoon sky. A monstrous being that almost looked like his dear friend squatting in a distorted child’s room. He recognised the music box she cradled in her arms. It brought him back to that moment that they met. It was the moment that had sent his life to ruin. He could feel it: the rage, anger, and darkness that resided within. There was more as he moved closer. There was a hunger like nothing he’d ever felt. A need for consumption. He knew he needed to destroy it. He thought he had. The monster wasn’t the music box, however. He had learned too late that the source of such evil was within Six herself. And he now suffered the consequences for it. He vowed in his chair to escape one day and take his revenge.

And he did.

Over and over.

He emerged from the television and snapped that little nightmare up. Eventually he thought to take the child that was once him as well to stop him from rescuing her. He was full of too much will and life, however. And the Thin Man could never touch him. He never remembered these cycles until he reached the chair. He would wander with the little girl in the yellow raincoat with an innocence that dissipates as soon as she lets go. Each time he sits in the chair he remembers each time. The last time, he had tried to leave a message to his younger self. He had given up chasing and stopping him, so he thought to warn him instead. He used the televisions he’d seen along their journey to leave clues about the tower, and the evil that resided within. He tried to make them subtle enough that Six wouldn’t take notice, but he would. Now he could only wait on his chair, and hope it would work.

He had lost track of how long he’d been locked away in the radio tower. He could often measure the time based on the clothing he was wearing. As he gradually turned into nothing but static, his style would evolve until he was simply a man with a suit and a hat. So far, he was still wearing his trench coat, though it had grown along with him. He had far reached past childhood, though he didn’t know how far into adulthood he’d gone. He would sometimes pass the time trying to guess his age, though that often became tiresome. He settled in again and allowed silence to wash over his mind.

By now the red eyes had closed, but were still present. He watched as the flesh around him moved and breathed. It had not yet evolved into a plain room, so he had quite a long wait yet. He closed his eyes.

He didn’t sleep. He never sleeps in the tower. And yet, he still thought he was dreaming when he heard a crack behind the red wall. He opened his eyes with a mild curiosity, but expected nothing. The crack sounded again. He struggled to recall a time this had happened before. The third time it happened, the room shook. It always moved and rocked like water, but it never shivered. The only way he could describe the sensation was another time when he had fallen through the floor beneath the rubble. Six should have died, but he managed to pull her free with minimal damage. He rose from his chair, something he never did before the door opened, and watched as the room around him began to melt. The spark of life he used to house when he was a child ignited and he climbed up onto the chair to get a better look. Stone and metal was left behind as the flesh he’d come to live within fell away. A tiny sliver of light could be seen in one spot. He felt an emotion he hadn’t experienced in a very long time: excitement.

He’d never dared to touch the walls or floor before the door opened. They eyed him like a meal in his tiny space of safety until they finally hibernated and left him with his dusty room. Now, however, they fell and died away from the walls. His muscles were stiff from years of not moving them, but the tower didn’t allow for atrophy. He simply needed to jump like he used to.

Another crack and the light grew. The wall melted faster and rose close to his feet. Soon it would envelop his chair completely and he would likely die with it. He climbed to the back of the chair as the seat disappeared and stared into the light he hadn’t seen in so long. A final crack and a hand reached into his prison. He leaped and reached for the hand, which gripped his wrist so hard it hurt, but it was the most amazing feeling he had in a long time.

“Hold on son! We’ll get you out of there!” A gruff voice called from the other side. He didn’t recognise it, but he was very glad to hear it. He had almost expected to hear that familiar, soft voice of his childhood companion. He was both crushed, and relieved to hear someone else.

The mystery person seemed to be pounding away at the wall with a very familiar object. The sledgehammer had been an even greater ally than Six ever was. It was almost perfect that it would be his salvation now. The instant the crack in the wall was large enough to pull him through, the large man yanked him back. As he left the building, sunlight hit his face like a bullet to the eyes. He fell back into what felt like gravel and covered his eyes with his palms. He could hear the sound of rubble crumbling and the creaking of metal nearby, but every time he tried to look, the sun burned his retinas. He could only lie there at the mercy of his rescuer.

“Take it easy, son.” A gentle voice spoke beside him. He hadn’t heard a masculine voice in a very long time. Longer than he can remember. It sounded strange to his ears. “When you’re ready, take your hands off your eyes, but keep them closed.”  
He did, and the red in front of him screamed, but he resisted the urge to cover his eyes again. The presence beside him didn’t leave. He could feel it. Eventually, the pain receded and his eyebrows relaxed.

“Okay, now open your eyes.”

He obeyed. It was a little bright, but the man cast a shadow over his eyes with a large hand. After blinking rapidly, he could finally hold his eyes open. He sat up slowly, and took in his surroundings. He was sitting in the middle of a desolate city. Old signs were tattered and sun bleached against cracked or collapsed buildings. Vines grew along the walls and plants sprouted between the cracks in the asphalt and cement. Wherever he was, nature had reclaimed this place. “Where am I?” His throat scratched against the use of his voice. He coughed and a water skin was passed to him. He grunted his gratitude and drank greedily.

The large man, who had been squatting next to him, stood up. He towered over the younger man and stood with a proud posture. His round, red nose sat on a bushy, red mustache that covered thick lips. His chest was built like a tree, and his round belly strained the coveralls that he wore. He looked around, gesturing the land around them. “This is what’s left of the Pale City.” He smiled and picked up the sledge hammer that had freed him as he spoke. “Name’s Quint. And you, young man, must be Mono.”  
Mono. A name he hadn’t heard in a very long time. He looked past Quint at the desolation that was once the city he and Six had run through countless times through countless realities. His head spun.

How? What had changed? Who was this man? How did he know Mono’s name? Mono hardly knew his name!

His head felt suddenly very light. He dropped the empty water skin and his vision faded away into nothingness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the delay! I promise this story wasn't abandoned! My mother had a heart attack and there's a lot of issues at work as well. I'm still working on this story!  
> BTW, I would love to hear theories and ideas as I write. I don't have a super concrete story in mind, just an outline of ideas and points. Maybe your idea will fit and I'll incorporate it into the story ;)  
> Thank you for the love so far!

_ Hungry. _

The growls of her stomach could be heard all throughout the iron walls of what had become her dwelling. Home was the wrong word. Nothing was home. Nothing would ever be home. No comfort. No warmth. 

A flash of green breaks through her memory and she flinches against it with a soft cry. No. No memories, no thoughts. Thoughts hurt. What came before is gone. 

_ You did it. _

A soft voice could be heard behind the long mess of soil colored hair that covered her face. “Stop.”

_ You let him die.  _

Her hands balled into fists the way they always used to where she sat. Her voice was stronger now. “I said stop!”

She swore she could hear a slight chuckle.  _ You wanted it. You dropped him. _

A wail like none had heard since the Lady died echoed off the walls of the long abandoned Maw as she clutched her head in her hands. Tears had long since stopped running. She wished she could still cry. 

_ Hungry. _

She stood.

Mono awoke to a curious sound. It was a strange combination of clicking and what he could only describe as wobbling. He rolled over and groaned as every muscle in his body screamed in pain. A hand touched his shoulder and he opened his eyes quickly. Six!

He bolted upright despite the protests of his body and twisted the hand that was touching him with a vice grip. The woman who stood before him cried out initially and touched his arm with her free hand. 

“It’s okay, Mono. You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.” Her voice was as gentle as her sky-colored eyes and she didn’t make a move to retaliate against his attack. He immediately let go and fell back to a lying position as he gave in to his body’s pain. The mystery woman cradled her injured wrist with her other hand and looked at him with worry. Her pale, oval face was framed by wispy bangs the color of coal. She sat beside him on what he finally realized was a bed, something he hadn’t had the luxury of using comfortably in a long time. He and six huddled on one once, but they didn’t sleep. They only rested as the music of the televisions in the rooms around them blared. They knew the viewers wouldn’t take notice of them as long as they watched their blessed machines, but they could feel their presence everywhere. 

“Where am I?” He finally asked. He seemed to be in some kind of crude cabin, though it didn’t remind him at all of the Hunter’s home. Everything was proportionate to him, and the smell of rotting corpses and was nowhere to be found. 

She smiled. It was soft and genuine. “You’re in my home, on the outskirts of the Pale City. By the beach.” She moved to the nightstand beside the bed where a pitcher and a cup were waiting. She poured a generous amount of water and offered him the cup. His mouth felt like he’d eaten dry dirt, but what little strength he’d gained in his slumber was drained when he attacked this woman and he couldn’t force his arm to move. She seemed to understand immediately, and carefully lifted his head up to help him drink. The water was cool against his parched lips and he drank greedily. He finished the whole cup, then another. This mystery woman left the room and returned with a wedge of cheese and some cooked meat. His stomach responded without grace.

She giggled and returned to her seat beside him. “My name is San. My husband, Quint, brought you back here a few days ago. He said you were in pretty bad shape. It looks like the tower was keeping you alive with nothing and holding you in a very specific position. Whatever kept you going in there left when the tower collapsed. We weren’t sure you were gonna make it when your exhaustion and starvation hit you all at once.” She broke off a piece of the cheese and held it to his lips. He felt disgusted with himself as he opened his mouth to the offering, but he had little choice. 

Her words were spinning in his mind. He’d been unconscious for three days? The tower was destroyed? How could any of this happen? He was certain there were no more normal people left in the Pale City. Perhaps even the world.

“I don’t… understand.” Words were difficult to form, and he felt so tired. San nodded her head as she offered the final piece of meat to him. 

“I know. There’s a lot to explain, and we will. But for now, you get your rest and regain your strength. You’ll need it. And we’ll need you. Now get some sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

He tried to resist, but the darkness took him over once again.

_ He was in a large hallway. He’d encountered this same hallway perhaps thousands of times. Each instance he’d find himself a little closer to the looming doorway that watched him. He was so small the last time he’d walked up to this door that he had to jump to reach the handle. He was larger now, and could grip it easily. The menacing door swung open. He knew what was on the other side. He would be face to face with himself soon. _

_ He was wrong.  _

_ A tiny girl sat in a raincoat before him. The room was devoid of anything else, and the walls were covered in scratch marks to signify just how long she’d been there. She sat with her legs wrapped around a music box. She didn’t look at him; only spun the crank of the horrendous object before her. He walked up to her, wanting nothing more than to stomp on it. However, the more he wanted to, the less willing his body was to do so. The music finally stopped, and she looked up at him. _

_ “Come find me.” _

He opened his eyes with a gasp that could take the air from the very room. It was dark now. Too dark. He struggled to remember where he was. He sat up slowly, grunting as his back stretched to do so. He took a moment to even his breathing. He remembered San, and Quint. He remembered being pulled from the tower. 

There were whispers outside the room he was in and he suddenly went on high alert. Who was there? The Teacher? The Viewers? He’d killed the Doctor and the Hunter. What if it was some new evil he’d yet to face? 

Like Six.

He crossed the room silently, finding his coat hanging beside the door. He slipped it on quickly and opened the door a crack. On the other side Quint sat beside San, lightly running his large fingers over her swollen stomach. Two other people sat across from them in stained and ripped furniture. They were all talking in hushed voices. Mono stood silently in the doorway and observed. 

None of them seemed dangerous. Across from San and Quint sat a woman with tight, unkept curls that looked almost black in the darkness. Her skin was only a few shades lighter than her hair. Her eyes reflected the candlelight between the four of them. They were a striking amber that stood out against her face. A man that looked quite similar to her sat beside her. He had no hair, and a contemplative expression to his face. He was who noticed Mono first.

Noticing his distraction, Quint looked up and smiled at Mono. “He’s alive! That’s good to know. We were all starting to worry about you. Come have a seat!” He gestured to a small couch that sat perpendicular to the other seats, facing the candles on the coffee table. He sat hesitantly. There were more people here… how was this even real? He and Six never encountered any living children on their adventure, and every adult that was of normal size was a Viewer. He newly shuddered as he remembered the first time a Viewer turned to face him. Her face was devoid of anything but skin. It was utterly horrifying. 

“How are you feeling?” The girl with the amber eyes asked. She didn’t have the same gentle voice as San, but she sounded kind. She wore an orange shirt that didn’t quite seem to fit, as half her torso was showing. She didn’t seem to mind.

“Confused.” He looked between the four of them. “How did you all know to go to the tower? How do you all know my name?”

Quint simply nodded and looked at his wife, who smiled. “When I was a small boy, I was taken from my home far from the Pale City. That was before the world went to hell, but only just before. I was taken by ship with a bunch of other children. We were headed someplace called the Maw. I was scared, and the people who took use started to not look like people anymore. One kid heard one of them call us a “delicacy”. I knew we were headed somewhere horrible.

“We docked at the Pale City so they could replenish supplies and pick up a few more kids. I had been working one of the bars of my cage loose and had been biding my time to break free. While most of the crewmen were out in the city I managed to get off the ship. I felt bad, leaving all those other kids behind. But I had no choice. I managed to hide in an alleyway near an electronics store. That was when I first saw it.”

Quint looked right at Mono with a serious expression. The other three looked into the candlelight or at Quint. “It was quick, and no one else seemed to see it, but the television that faced me flashed for a moment. It showed the radio tower that had just been built and a kid being dropped inside. I thought it was strange. I wasn’t sure what it meant. But I kept moving. Not a lot of kids were making it around these parts. Most were dragged off and traded for a television set by their parents or snatched up in the streets. I found San holed up in an abandoned apartment. There was an old TV there we thought for sure wasn’t working, but it suddenly turned on. This time it flashed words. It said ‘Mono. The Tower.’ We didn’t know what to think of it, but we knew there was something up with that tower.”

Quint looked broke eye contact with Mono and looked at the two sitting across from him. The girl leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked up at the ceiling as she reflected inward. “My brother and I had been taken to some creepy island not far from here, but whoever brought us was shot on sight. Apparently we were supposed to be caged up, but he got cocky and used some flimsy rope to tie our hands. We broke free of that quickly and jumped into the canoe he’d used to get us there. Lucky that the Hunter guy was distracted by something else, or we’d have probably been blasted too. We got to the Pale City beach probably a few miles north of here. There was a television just sitting there in the sand. It was weird, but we didn’t pay it a whole lot of mind until it turned on. I can’t remember exactly what it said now, but it was clear the tower was connected to the weird things that were starting to happen to all of the adults. We’d encountered a few of those televisions before we met up with Quint and San here. Between the four of us, we put it together. It was a prophecy. Someone named Mono was at that tower. We had to destroy it, get you, and find someone named Six.” She smiled and looked at Mono, “Name’s Duo by the way. Guess I should have led with that.”

The man next to her nodded in Mono’s direction, “Viere. There was a lot of evil in this world before we busted you out of that tower. It stopped the Viewers and the Teacher hasn’t left her school since. No one has seen her little minions either. But there’s still something out there. We need your help.”

While they spoke, Mono pieced together what they had seen. The clues meant for him from the last loop with the Thin Man. They were meant to warn him not to rescue Six from the Tower, or even help her at all if possible. But he had misjudged the timing. Those clues made it to these people instead. He wasn’t certain if he could call that a success or a failure. He leaned back and released a heavy sigh, rubbing his face. The tension in the room was as heavy as the air in the hallway leading to the Thin Man. It made Mono very uncomfortable. He finally opened his eyes and looked at them.

“It wasn’t a prophecy, and you don’t need to go looking for Six. That message was supposed to keep me from going to that tower. It wasn’t meant for you guys at all. I’m glad it led you to freeing me, but it didn’t stop the evil from spreading like it was supposed to. I was still betrayed, and Six is still out there.” He looked down at his knees where his hands balled up into fists. “She’s still out there,” he spoke through his teeth. In all the craziness since he was busted out of the hell she had literally dropped him into, he hadn’t yet processed this simple fact. He could finally get his revenge. He could finally show her what it is to be betrayed. The other four in the room were looking at each other with shock and talking quietly in whispers to each other. He didn’t pay their words any mind. He stood from his chair.

“You don’t need my help. I need yours. You want to stop the evil in this world, you’ll help me stop Six.”


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next two days, they had put Mono to work. Quint made it very clear anyone who was living here was to do their share. Mono felt the speech to be unnecessary, as he hadn’t suggested in any way that he wasn’t willing to work. Everyone had promised to scout around and try to figure out where Six had gone to, but in the meantime crops needed harvesting, the city needed scavenged, and fish needed catching. Mono had eyed a sledge hammer that Quint kept next to his house for a long enough moment that the large man offered it to him as a gift. It fit neatly on his coat where he used to hold keys and he could easily swing it with one hand. Neither of which he was used to. After a brief conversation, Quint decided that the best job for Mono was scavenging with Duo. Her twin brother, Viere, would stay behind and help Quint harvest, hunt and fish whole San did the lighter work. Mono hadn’t seen a pregnant woman before, and San was amused when she explained it to him. When he apologized and reminded her that most of his life was spent in captivity in the tower, her amusement died down and she gave him a tight hug. He was shocked, and took a long moment to return the gesture. He left with Duo with a flush. Six had loved hugs… especially when she was afraid or cold. He shook the memory off and entered the city with Duo.

“You remember much of this place?” She asked. She wore a sword on her hip where she rested her hand; ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Other than that, she strolled the cracked streets with a relaxed ease. She seemed to know the place well. 

“Not really. It was always dark, and we would hide wherever we could. Not a lot of time for sightseeing.” He stopped and glanced at a huge building that had half collapsed on itself. Outside were hospital beds and pieces of mannequin. He scowled. “I remember that place, though.”

Duo stared at it thoughtfully. “People used to go there to become perfect. I remember hearing the advertisements just before it all hit the fan.”

Mono scoffed and walked away from the hospital. “They were torn apart and turned into mechanical horrors that could only move by darkness. No minds of their own.”

Duo arched a brow. “How do you know that?”

“I was there.”

She didn’t pry further.

They passed a few shops, but Duo didn’t bother entering any of them. Mono assumed she’d already picked them clean. Duo took a few back alley turns and twists. Occasionally they would encounter a few blocked baths from overgrowth or rubble and they would need to find a more creative way forward. Duo was usually surprised when Mono would jump up and grab a board hanging from the building beside them to build a ramp, or manipulate their surroundings to make leaping across to where they wanted to be possible. 

“Can I ask you a question, Mono?” She asked as they climbed into the window of an apartment building. She hoisted him up through the window as she spoke. The inside of this apartment looked nothing like the ones he’d encountered as a child. The rooms were much more spacious and filled with extravagant art and lavish furniture. There were a few unfortunate pots in the corners that housed the remnants of dead plants.

“Sure.” He found the kitchen and checked the cupboards. Whoever once lived here seemed to focus on fresh food, as he found very few preserved goods. 

“You’ve said ‘we’ a lot but haven’t talked about who you were with. Did you have a friend before you went into the tower?” She rummaged through the drawers in the kitchen, pulling out knives and utensils. She wrapped up the sharp items before stuffing them into her bag. On the stove was a kettle, which she was very excited to see. 

“I thought I did. Why do we need that?” He gave up on the cupboards and turned toward the bedrooms. 

“For boiling water to drink. Aren’t you gonna tell me who they were?” She yelled from the livingroom.

Mono rolled his eyes and shut the door, “No.”

Now in some semblance of solitude, he looked around to see he had entered the master bedroom. Quint had asked him to find blankets, clothes, and anything they could use to keep warm for the winter. His bag wasn’t large enough to carry a whole lot, but they had enough daylight to make two trips to this location. He stripped the bed and rolled the blankets up tightly. His bag was already stuffed so the pillows were a lost cause. He decided to gather up anything useful in each room and make a pile for the next scavenger and checked the closets. The clothes were a little fancy for farm work, and not near thick enough to be useful for winter. He shook his head and almost shut the door when he saw a green dress that caught his eyes. It was a little thin around the waist for San to wear while pregnant, and too small in the chest for Duo. However it was the same shade of green as his coat. There might come a time when it might need patched up, so he rolled the dress up and used what little room was left in the bag. 

Duo’s bag was filled when he emerged, so they had no choice but to head back. She didn’t bother asking any more prying questions, which Mono was grateful for. They mostly made small talk about their surroundings. About halfway back to the farm, Mono heard something. 

“What was that?” Duo hissed. She dropped her pack and unsheathed her sword immediately. Mono, however, set his pack down slowly and deliberately. They were in a thin space wedged between two desolate buildings. There wasn’t a lot of space to fight. They’d have to be clever. 

“It came from that direction,” he whispered, pointing ahead of them. “Set your pack next to mine and back up about five paces. We’ll provoke it out. With luck, it’ll trip and we can take it out with one hit.”

Duo looked at him like he was crazy, but obliged. Once she was standing next to him, she whispered, “I hope you’re right about this. You sure it’ll work?”

He shook his head, “Never be sure. But I didn’t survive this long swinging my weapon around willy nilly.” He straightened up and readied his hammer, “Hey ugly! Show your face!”

A throaty growl could be heard from the corner ahead, then the sound of rocks being flung in all directions. Mono stood ready as a giant mess of rubble, sticks, and dirt flew in all directions ahead of a very large, very fat man charged them. 

Mono lowered his hammer as a kabuki mask stared him down. “Change of plans, grab the packs and get to high ground!” He ran to scoop his up and slung it around his shoulder before climbing the nearest wall. Duo did the same on the opposite side from him. Fatty couldn’t stand up, it seemed, so he sat on his belly and reached up after them angrily. Spit and chunks of what seemed to be a dead animal flew from his mouth. Mono held back his disgust and looked for some way to get out of there.

“I’ve seen these things before! Not very bright or able to move much but if there are any more around they can knock over just about anything!” Duo had found a ledge to stand on out of the monster’s reach, but it wasn’t very stable, which gave him an idea. Mono looked around and spotted what he needed. Above them was an old sign that looked like it might fall with enough weight. He looked at Duo and then at the sign. She nodded and the two of them climbed. Luckily she was as nimble as he, so any idea that might’ve worked for him and Six would work for them as well. They reached the sign. Mono gripped it and tried to pull from where he was. Duo did the same on the other side but it was no use. They’d need to stand on it and jump. Mono remembered a handful of times he and Six used that trick. 

“It’s no use! We’re not strong enough!” 

Mono shook his head and climbed a little higher, “We might be heavy enough.”

Duo followed after him, “When we get out of here, I’m kicking your ass for calling me fat!”

Mono rolled his eyes and held a hand out to pull her up. She lost her footing and slipped from the rail, sliding completely off except for the hand Mono was holding. How ironic that he would be in this position now. He fell to his knees the way he’d seen Six do to brace himself. Duo’s eyes were wide as dinner plates as her feet dangled above the struggling creature below them. 

“I’ve got you! Hold on!” He pulled with all his might, but she was too heavy. His knees were slipping. He looked down and realized her pack was filled with knives, a kettle, and any other heavy objects she’d collected. “Drop your pack!” 

She looked down at her bag and swung it; likely to increase the chances of finding it again later. Mono immediately pulled her to safety. They panted a moment on the sign then looked down at the monster below. “I don’t feel a whole lot safer now, if I’m being honest.”

Mono shook his head, “Me neither. Let’s jump.” 

Duo looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “We’ll fall to our deaths with this thing!”

“There’s a cable above us. We’ll have to grab it when this thing breaks loose. Odds aren’t great, but what ideas do you have?” He tried to reign in his irritation. He’d never had to explain his logic before, and Six’s ideas were always much crazier than his. Without warning her, he jumped. It knocked the sign down a bit, but it still held. Swallowing, Duo finally jumped with him. Two solid landings and the sign creaked, signalling it was about to break free. They grabbed the cable just in time and dangled while the sign tumbled down with a noise that would wake the dead. A sharp point of the metal hit the center of the monster’s head, and it went immediately still. Duo looked at Mono with shock as they dangled above the wreckage.

“You’re absolutely crazy. Okay Mr. Know-It-All… how do we get down?”

“There you are! We were so worried!” San ran up and pulled both Mono and Duo into a tight embrace. Mono accepted, though he was admittedly confused. It wasn’t even sunset yet. San pulled back and looked at Mono with worry written all over her face. “Quint and Viere aren’t back yet, but I hope they saw.”

Duo nodded. “Yeah, we encountered something nasty. So it’s gotta be close. We’ll need to get in the bunker and wait it out if it gets any closer.”

Mono frowned, “What are you two talking about?” 

The women looked at him, then at the horizon. In the distance, a pillar could be seen jutting out of the water. It seemed to be sitting on a large dome. San took Duo’s hand and led them towards the main house. “There’s something about that thing. The closer it gets to the shore, the more of those things stir in the city. It hasn’t gotten this close before. I hope it’s not docking. If it is, we’re in trouble.”

Mono took Duo’s pack so she could help San walk. All of the stress must’ve worn her out. “That’s some kind of ship? What’s it got to do with those things?”

“It’s some kind of resort,” Duo said, “I remember seeing fliers for it when I was a kid. We’re not sure why, but when it gets close it seems to call anything evil out of its hiding spot. Usually we see them in the distance boarding some kind of boat and going on their merry way. When that happens we see maybe one or two around here that cause a problem. This time….”

San sat down on a bench outside the door of the main house. There was a sheen of sweat on her forehead that Mono wasn’t convinced was from exertion. “This time it’s coming to our shore.”

Mono looked out into the distance. He almost remembered those fliers himself. It was some kind of buffet resort for wealthy people. “Do they ever come back?”

Both women shook their heads. “Viere has joked that once they’re done eating they’re slaughtered to become the next boat’s meal. I wouldn’t be surprised.” Duo’s eyes narrowed. “There’s something sinister about it. I never liked it.”

“Well, it’s thinning out the evil in this area, so until today I didn’t mind it,” Quin said from behind Mono. San cried out her relief and stood to meet her husband. Viere strode up from behind him to hug his sister. Quint quickly walked San back to the bench and the two looked out at the horizon. “Now it’s dangerous.”

“We’ve probably got a week before it gets close enough to be a real problem. We can gather supplies to hole up in the meantime.” Viere shaded his eyes, gauging the distance of the ship.

Mono dropped the packs by the door then looked around. There were three buildings meant for living; Quint and San’s home, Viere and Duo’s home, and the main house that was more fortified for emergencies. They also had a chicken coup, a shed to stash tools for farming, and the beginnings of a gate they were starting to build. This place wouldn’t last a day. “No. We need to go to the ship ourselves.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Duo asked with an expression that almost looked like offence. “You want us to go  _ to _ the place all the creatures are lured to?”

“All the evil is drawn to that thing or stays dormant right? What if we went in now while they don’t have any guests and took out whatever is controlling it?”

“I understand your reasoning, Mono, but we’re not an army. We’re five people trying to survive,” San said, “Four… since I couldn’t go even if I wanted to.”

Mono was already planning on how to find a means of getting out that far into the ocean. “I will go alone. I killed more of those things than most have seen when I was a child. I can handle them just fine now.”

“Yeah with help! You weren’t alone,” Duo glared, crossing her arms. “If you’re going to do this, we need to go with you.”

San grabbed her hand desperately, “No, you can’t!”

“And she won’t,” Quint said with a heavy sigh. He walked to the side of the house where the axe rested and rested it on his shoulder. “Mono and I will go. The twins will stay here and protect my wife. Mono’s right. We can’t just keep waiting for this thing to sneak up on us. I’m tired of living in fear.”

San opened her mouth to protest, but he knelt down and took her hand. Mono almost felt like he was intruding on a moment he wasn’t meant to be seeing. The way Quint looked at San was indescribable. “We can’t keep fighting when this baby is born, and I don’t want to raise them in this world. I need to try.”

Mono couldn’t watch anymore. He turned his back and scouted the nearby area for a raft. Quint could join him when he was ready. It didn’t take too long to find a suitable row boat. It wasn’t in the best shape, but it held the water out and could get them to the resort ship and back should they succeed. He leaned against it while Quint made his way to him. There was a dark shadow over the man’s eyes that Mono hadn’t yet seen on him. “Are you ready?”

Quint started pushing the boat into the water. His face was grim, “No. Let’s go.”


End file.
